New Students

New Students2023-10-24T16:42:58-04:00
  • Undergrad-New-Students

Welcome to the School of Communication. My name is Luis Herrera, Associate Dean of the Office of Admission, Academic and Alumni Services. My staff and I look forward to providing you an outstanding advising experience. Each department has a dedicated advisor who will assist you and will answer your academic related questions.

Our advising staff has designed a course selection process for you that should be easy to follow and will allow you to choose courses that will count for your major, minor and your general education requirements. Please select your major on this website or in the UM bulletin (http://bulletin.miami.edu) for a list of required courses and general education information. Then, please continue on through the registration process on your CaneLink using the course list provided.

You can access the academic calendar here: https://registrar.miami.edu/dates-and-deadlines/academic-calendars/index.html

New students entering the University of Miami School of Communication will receive an email notification from the University Registrar with detailed registration information prior to the start of classes.

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Email: communication@miami.edu
Phone: 305-284-5234

For All Majors and Undeclared Communication Students

  • English Composition – Every first-year student is required to enroll in an English course OR have achieved First-Year English credit through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or transfer work.

    A. If you have earned AP/IB credit for English Composition, then this requirement is complete and you do not need to select a course in this area. B. If you earned an ACT/English of 32 or higher OR a SAT/Writing score of 700 or higher, then WRS 105 is waived. You may proceed to enroll in WRS 106.

  • Math Requirement – All School of Communication students must complete a minimum of 3-6 credits in math above MTH 101 (MTH 107 does not satisfy this requirement). Students must complete the math requirement within the first 60 credits at UM.

    Your Math level will be pre-determined for you based on the highest Math SAT or Math ACT entrance exam scores received by UM. You can find the placement scale here.

    If you have earned AP/IB credit for Math as outlined here, then your Math requirement will be satisfied for all majors in the School of Communication.

Steps for Registration

  • Please review all of the information on our website. Email your advisor if you have questions or concerns.

  • Refer to the Registrar’s website: https://registrar.miami.edu/registration-and-classes/registration/registration-schedule/index.html for assistance with CaneLink and to watch short videos on the registration, swap and waitlist processes.

  • Registration time is on your CaneLink home page.

  • Have a backup plan in case your first choices are full.
    a. Add yourself to a waitlist if your first selection is full.
    b. You may only waitlist for a total of 9 credits.

  • Remember all schedules may be updated once classes start. Check the academic calendar for add/drop periods.

Foote Fellow Advising Information

Foote Fellows are EXEMPT from all General Education Requirements including Cognates. Here are some exceptions:

  • Foote Fellows are not exempt from pre-requisite courses.

  • Some general education requirements may be necessary for admission to medical/graduate school.

  • Foote Fellows may complete General Education Requirement courses by choice or automatically with AP/IB/Dual Enrollment credit.

  • Foote Fellows may choose to complete Cognates.

  • Foote Fellows are exempt from WRS 105 and 106 and math requirement, however these courses may be required for some majors.

Cognates

The University of Miami’s General Education Requirements ensure that graduates have acquired essential intellectual skills and have engaged a range of academic disciplines. All new students will fulfill the General Education requirements by selecting a Cognate, which is a cluster of courses arranged by their content, field and interest.

A cognate is a group of at least three related courses for at least 9 credits.

The courses in a cognate are related in a topical, thematic, interdisciplinary, sequential, or other such fashion, so that completion of a cognate provides coherent depth of knowledge in the area.

Students must take three cognates to fulfill the Areas of Knowledge requirement, one in the Arts & Humanities (A&H), one in People & Society (P&S), and one in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM).

To learn more about what cognates are in a short video, click here.

Your major satisfies one of your cognate requirements.

  • Advertising (General & Management) — People & Society Cognate

  • Advertising (Creative)—Arts & Humanities Cognate or People & Society Cognate

  • Broadcast Journalism—People & Society Cognate

  • Communication Studies (all tracks)—People & Society Cognate

  • Electronic Media—People & Society Cognate

  • Immersive Media—STEM Cognate

  • Interactive Media—STEM Cognate

  • Journalism—People & Society Cognate

  • Media Management—People & Society Cognate

  • Motion Pictures (all tracks)—Arts & Humanities Cognate

  • Public Relations—-People & Society Cognate

To Search for Available Cognates visit: Cognates Search Engine

The cognates listed in the above search engine have been approved by the University Curriculum Committee for the current academic year. More cognates will be added to the search engine as they are approved.

New Transfer Students

All transfer students will receive communication from their advisor to schedule an advising appointment prior to the beginning of the semester. During your appointment, your advising hold will be removed, so you can add courses to your shopping cart and register.

During your appointment, your advisor will see if your transfer credits are applicable towards major, minor, cognates, and elective requirements. Transfer coursework towards your major will be approved by the department chair or a faculty advisor. You will receive further instruction on this process during your appointment.

Transfer courses that have not been given a direct equivalency still count toward the completion of your degree if passed with a grade of C or above. If you are currently taking courses, it is your responsibility to inform your advisor as soon as possible and send a final official transcript to the UM Office of Admission by the end of the semester.

Select Your Major to Expand

Advertising, Public Relations2023-05-30T09:12:23-04:00

Majors: Advertising (General/Creative/Management Tracks) and Public Relations
Advisor: Marilyn Gonzalez
Chair: Wanhsiu Sunny Tsai

Students majoring in Advertising should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • STC 114 Principles of Advertising
  • STC 102 Graphic Design for Strategic Communication
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Arts and Humanities or STEM Cognates

Students majoring in Public Relations should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • STC 102 Graphic Design for Strategic Communication
  • STC 116 Principles of Public Relations
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Arts and Humanities or STEM Cognates
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school
Broadcast Journalism, Electronic Media, Print Journalism, Media Management2023-05-30T09:15:49-04:00

Majors: Broadcast Journalism, Electronic Media, Journalism, Media Management
Advisor: Mari Salazar
Chair: Sallie Hughes

Students majoring in Broadcast Journalism should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • JMM 102 Understanding Media and Content in the Digital Age
  • JMM 108 Writing For The Digital Age
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • STEM or Arts and Humanities Cognate
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school

Students majoring in Electronic Media should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • JMM 102 Understanding Media and Content in the Digital Age
  • JMM 108 Writing For The Digital Age
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • STEM or Arts and Humanities Cognate
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school

Students majoring in Journalism should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • JMM 102 Understanding Media and Content in the Digital Age
  • JMM 108 Writing For The Digital Age
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • STEM or Arts and Humanities Cognate
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school

Students majoring in Media Management should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • JMM 102 Understanding Media and Content in the Digital Age
  • JMM 108 Writing For The Digital Age
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • STEM or Arts and Humanities Cognate
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school
Communication Studies2023-05-30T09:17:45-04:00

Major: Communication Studies (General/Intercultural/Organizational/Public Advocacy)
Advisor: Marie Ferguson
Chair: Diane Millette

Students majoring in Communication Studies should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • COS 120 Exploring Human Connection
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • COS 211 Public Speaking or COS 220 Communication Theory
  • STEM or Arts and Humanities Cognate
Interactive Media, Immersive Media2023-05-30T09:20:08-04:00

Major: Interactive Media and Immersive Media
Advisor: Marie Ferguson
Chair: Kim Grinfeder

Students majoring in Interactive Media should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • CIM 101 Internet, Media, and Society
  • CIM 102 Interaction Design I
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Cognate course for Arts and Humanities
  • Cognate course for People and Society

Students majoring in Immersive Media should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • CIM 101 Internet, Media, and Society
  • CIM 203 Introduction to Creative Coding
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Cognate course for Arts and Humanities
  • Cognate course for People and Society
Motion Pictures2023-05-30T15:55:28-04:00

Major: Motion Pictures (Tracks: General/Production/Screenwriting/Business/Critical Studies/Television Writing)
Advisor: Marie Ferguson
Chair: Dia Kontaxis

New Students majoring in Motion Pictures should register for a minimum of five courses.

Major Course Selections:

  • CCA 103 Survey of Motion Pictures
  • CCA 151 Introduction to Digital Production (If not available, take CCA 126 Introduction to Screenwriting or CCA 206 History of International Cinema)
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Cognate course for People and Society or STEM
Undeclared Majors2022-05-02T16:48:37-04:00

Advisor: Luis Herrera

  • 1 or 2 Courses in an area of interest (STC 116 or STC 114 or JMM 108 or JMM 102 or COS 120 or CIM 103 or CCA 103)
  • COS 211 Public Speaking
  • English Composition and/or Mathematics
  • Cognate and/or an elective
  • Elective of your choice in or outside of our school